Grounding device for telephone lines



Dec. 18, 1951 M. R. CHlPLEY GROUNDING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE LINES Filed June 14, 1948 gwum Womf MA 210A! 12 C'H/PLEY.

Patented Dec. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GROUNDING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE LINES 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved grounding device and support for lightning arresters such as are usually employed in the circuit of a telephone. A conventional lightning arrester is em ployed in a telephone circuit to provide a means for grounding high voltage and high amperage electrical currents such as bolts of lightning. In the event that a particularly strong current of electricity is transmitted to the lightning arrester, the arrester is equipped with fuses which are adapted to burn out at a predetermined high amperage of electricity.

Heretofore, these lightning arresters have had a ground wire connected to a terminal on the same and which extended from the terminal to a grounding device which usually projected upwardly out of the earth.

It is an object of this invention to provide a grounding device comprising a rod which may be driven into the earth and then completely covered by the earth. This rod has an L-shaped portion integral therewith which extends upwardly out of the ground and has a lightning arrester mounted on the upper end of the same and a wire extends from the ground terminal in the arrester to the upper end of the L-shaped portion and it is thus seen that a supporting means for the lightning arrester is provided as well as a grounding means.

It is another object of this invention to provide a grounding device having a lightning arrester mounted on the upper end thereof and to which the lightning arrester is grounded to thereby overcome the necessity of extending a wire from the lightning arrester down to the earth to where it is normally connected to a grounding device.

It is another object of this invention to provide a combination lightning arrester support and a grounding device having a plurality of loops on one side thereof through which the conventional station wires from the arrester to the telephone may extend prior to extending through the exterior wall of a building.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the-accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical sectional view through a portion of a side wall of a house showing the invention associated therewith;

Figure 2 is a front elevation with parts broken away and showing the upper end of a grounding device with a conventional lightning arrester mounted thereon;

V Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view and is taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional plan View taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral [8 indicates the side wall of a building which is adapted to rest on a foundation ll having a footing l2 and the foundation H and the footing ii! are surrounded by earth l3.

A drop wire cable 20 having line conductor wires 2| and 22 therein extends from a conventional telephone pole, not shown, to the wall 10 of the house to where it generally passes through a suitable screw eye 23 fastened to the wall [0 of the building, and this cable 28 extends down the wall of the building to a conventional lightning arrester unit broadly designated at This arrester unit 25 comprises a vertically disposed plate 26 having a horizontally disposed portion 21 integral therewith and this plate 25 and the portion 21 are adapted to receive a cover member 30. The vertical plate 26 has a conventional arrester 3| mounted thereon having conventional fuses 32 and 32a, which are usually of seven amperes resistance, mounted thereon.

The lower ends of these fuses 32 and 32a have terminals 33 and 34 connected thereto which extend into the arrester 3|. The upper ends of the fuses 32 and 32a are connected to terminals 3'! and 38, respectively, which also extent into the arrester 3 l The arrester 3| has a central ground terminal in extending outwardly therefrom. The line conductor wires 2| and 22, which are disposed within the cable 20, extend through the lower central portion of the horizontal plate 21 and are connected to the lower terminals 33 and 34.

The upper terminals 31 and 38 have line conductor wires 45 and 46 connected thereto which extend downwardly between the arrester 3i and the vertical plate 26 and out through the bottom of the lightning arrester unit 25 in a manner to be later described.

The centrally disposed ground terminal 40 in the upper portion of the arrester 3! has ground wires 81 and 48 connected to the same, both of which also pass downwardly between the arrester 3i and the vertical plate 26 on which the arrester 35 is mounted.

All of the parts heretofore described are some of the usual conventional parts of a telephone circuit and it is with these parts that this invention is adapted to be associated. Heretofore, it has been the usual practice to mount the lightning arrester unit on the wall Ia") of the building, however, this may be continued, but is no longer necessary with my improved grounding device.

This grounding device comprises a vertically disposed metallic rod 59 which has a horizontal- 1y bent portion 5% at its lower end and the end of the bent portion 55 is secured, by welding, to a vertical grounding rod 52 which is generally about three feet long. This vertical grounding rod 52 is pointed at its lower end as at 53, and extends upwardly above the point where the bent portion 5| of the rod to is welded to the same so the upper end of the grounding rod 52 may be struck with a hammer, or the like, for driving the vertical grounding rod 52 into the earth.

Before this grounding rod 52 is driven into the earth It, a small cavity of approximately three inches depth is dug in the earth, as indicated by the dotted lines 56 in Figure l. v

The purpose of this cavity is so that the upper end of the vertical rod 52 may be driven below the optimum level of the earth so that it will not project into the path of travel of anyone who may walk over that area. This cavity 56 is then filled in with earth so that the surface of the earth is uniform at this point.

The vertical rodtfl extends a substantial distance above the earth l3, say four feet, and has welded to the upper end thereof a tubular shaft 5'! having a bore 58 in one side thereof and having a raised annular portion 68 which may be cast integral or welded to the same. This annular portion 68 forms a shoulder on which a washer 6! of insulating material is disposed and has a restricted portion 82 which penetrates the horizontal portion 2? of the plate 26, to thus form a shoulder on which the horizontal portion 21 of the plate 26 is supported.

An insulation washer t! is then placed over the tubular shaft 5? and engages the top surface of the portion 2? of the plate and a lock washer E9 is then placed over the same and the upper end of this tubular member 51 is adapted to threadably receive a nut H to which the lower end of the ground wire 38 is connected as by welding 12. The other ground Wire 41 and the two line conductors 45 and 66, which extend from the upper end of the arrester 3|, extend into a conventional station wire cable 15 which extends downwardly through the open upper end of the tubular shaft 5'! and outwardly through the bore 58 in the side of the shaft 51.

The station wire cable 15 then extends downwardly along the vertical rod 50 and passes through a plurality of loops H which are secured, as by welding, to the vertical rod 58, and then the station wire cable 75 containing the wires 45 and as well as the wire 41, extends through the wall In of the building, in a conventional manner, to a telephone, not shown.

Method of operation Normally the electric current passes from the wires 2| and 22 in the drop wire cable 20 to the terminals 33 and 34 and through the fuses 32 and 32a and thus through the terminals 3'! and 38 and the line Wires and 46 in the station wire cable 75 to the telephone. In the event of a stroke of lightning not exceeding seven amperes, the sudden additional charge of electricity, caused by the lightning, would pass through the wires 21 and 22 in the cable at to the terminals 33 and 34- and through the conventional arrester 3| and through the ground terminal and the ground wire as to the nut ll on the upper end. of the tubular shaft 51- and thus the circuit would be grounded through the rods and 52.

In the event of an electrical charge caused by lightning, which exceeds seven amperes, the fuses 32 and 32a would be burned out, however, this 4 electrical charge would still be grounded through the rods 50 and 52.

It is thus seen that I have provided a means for supporting the conventional arrester unit 25 as well as a means for grounding the circuit which passes through the arrester 3| disposed in the unit 25 and have eliminated the necessity of extending a ground wire from the lightning arrester unit 25 to the earth 13.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a grounding device for a telephone lightning arrester having aground terminal and a round wire leading therefrom, and having a cable leading therefrom, a vertical grounding rod which is adapted to be driven into the earth having a vertical rod which is in off-set relation and integral with the first rod and secured to the first rod a short distance below the upper end of the first rod and extending a substantial distance above the earth, said off-set rod having a tubular shaft integral with its upper end and extending upwardly into the lightning arrester, an annular portion integral with said tubular shaft, said tubular shaft having a bore in one side thereof, insulation means for insulating the tubular shaft from the arrester, a nut having one end of the ground wire welded thereto, the upper 'end of the tubular shaft being adapted to receive the nut to thereby secure the arrester to the upper end of the tubular shaft, the off-set rod having a plurality of loops integral ther with through which the cable is adapted to be led.

2. A combination lightning arrester support and grounding device comprising a straight rod which is adapted to be driven into the ground, an L-shaped off-set vertical rod having a short leg and a long leg and having its short leg secured to the straight rod a short distance from the upper end of the straight rod, a vertically disposed tubular shaft on the upper end of the L-shaped vertical rod having a bore in the side wall thereof, said tubular shaft being adapted to extend upwardly into the lightning arrester, and means for mounting the lightning arrester on the upper end of the tubular shaft, said lightning arrester having a ground terminal thereon, a wire connecting the ground terminal to the upper end of the tubular shaft to thereby ground a circuit to the lightning arrester.

3. A grounding device for av lightning arrester for telephone circuits having a ground terminal and a cable extending therefrom, comprising a metallic stake adapted to be driven into the ground and having an L-shaped rod joined to the stake at a point substantially removed from the upper end of the stake and projecting laterally from the stake and extending upwardly a substantial distance above the upper end of the stake and having means on the upper end thereof for securing the lightning arrester thereto and means on the upper end of the L-shaped rod for 4. A support and grounding device for a light-- ning arrester for telephone circuits having aground terminal and cable comprising a rod having an off-set portion secured to the red at a a point removed from the upper end thereof to permit the rod to be driven into the ground, said oif-set portion extending upwardly above the upper end of the rod, a threaded portion of the upper end thereof adapted to penetrate the lower wall of the housing of the lightning arrester, a nut threaded on the upper end of said rod for confining the housing of the lightning arrester thereon, the nut having a ground wire secured thereto and adapted to be connected to the ground terminal of the arrester, the u er end of the rod being hollow and having an opening in one side thereof disposed below the lower portion of the housing and whereby the cable can be led from the lightning arrester downwardly through the hollow portion and outwardly from said opening and a plurality of loops on the offset portion through which the cabie may be led.

MARION R. CHIPLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 681,654 McClatchey Aug. 27, 1901 769,738 Geist Sept. 13, 1904 1,189,565 Hartsaw July 4, 1916 1,530,815 Dear Mar. 24, 1925 1,863,080 Austin June 14, 1932 1,978,440 Shepard Oct. 30, 1934 2,399,498 Messick Apr. 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 505,912 Germany Aug. 27, 1930 

